Some people are 'risk-takers' and enjoy taking unnecessary and sometimes stupid risks, while others are 'risk-averse' and avoid taking the smallest risk at a ll costs. As someone who enjoys extreme mountain biking, I'm definitely a risk­ taker. A lot of people find that quite hard to understand and wonder how I can enjoy something that they think's frightening and dangerous. Well, I'd like to get the facts straight and reassure people about extreme sports. I don't do extreme biking for the fear or the speed. It's the freedom I love. There are no rules and no winners and losers in this kind of sport. You're really only competing against yourself and the weather. I prefer it when it doesn't rain but I do like the conditions to be challenging, especially when there's loads of mud everywhere, which makes the surface really slippery.

 

Having sa id that, I don't go out biking to get hurt, and I haven't ever had a serious injury - and I hope I never will. There's a lot of emphasis on health and safety in all extreme sports, even though there are a few crazy people who ignore all the advice. Each sport keeps developing all kinds of equipment to help improve safety - from headgear to harnesses - and that makes extreme sports much safer than they used to be in the past.

It annoys me that a lot of people are so negative about extreme sports and say that we're irresponsible for taking so many risks. There've always been risks in sports. For example, when I played rugby at school it was basically just an organised form of fighting. There were injuries all the time. But it helped us to deal with negative emotions and it tired us out. I think that's why rugby was taught in schools in those days. And today people still l get injured by doing traditional sports as much as they do from new extreme sports. Anyway, I'd say the most dangerous sport isn't snowboarding or free-running, but horse-riding. I bet the statistics show that's true.

But I'm not arguing that risk is a bad thing. So long as people take safety seriously, I think everyone needs to be more adventurous. I feel quite strongly that using all your skill and strength to meet a challenge gives you the greatest sense of being a live.There's nothing quite like it.

And another thing that people don't understand about risk-taking is that the hormones the body releases when it's experiencing stress - adrenaline's the one everyone's heard of - can actually help you to live longer; whereas being cautious and always playing it safe can cause some people to age faster, and to catch colds and f1u more frequently.

You could argue that doing extreme sports is actually less dangerous than sitting at home watching TV!

Anyway, my philosophy is never to worry about what might happen. If I did that, then I'd end up doing nothing and going nowhere. Don't use up lots of energy on worrying, is what I say. And that's true about any kind of activity, not just ones which involve physical risk. Whatever you're terrified of - speaking in public, or going on a journey - you should just go ahead and do it. What you'll probably find is that it wasn't nearly as bad as you'd expected.

And I believe doing extreme sports doesn't just benefit the individual, it benefits society as a whole. Society needs risk-takers for scientific developments. Otherwise we'd never have sent astronauts into space. Risk-taking is really important in business, too - you can't be a success without it.

So, basically, risk-taking is a good thing. And the kinds of people who participate in extreme sports have a need to seek excitement and stimulation. Doing extreme sports is a positive way of meeting that need. If I couldn't do extreme biking, maybe I'd get involved in some other risky behaviour - something more negative and destructive like dangerous driving, for example - which could end up doing a lot more harm.

I was pretty good at skateboarding and I used to love going to the park with my two sons. The problem was that, as my sons got older, they didn't want me hanging out with them. I always wished I'd had a skater friend my own age. I was lonely and self-conscious. I wasn't worried about having an accident because I was always careful and wore protective clothing and a helmet, but I felt it was time I stopped. And then last year they opened a brand new skate park, and I

said to myself 'If only I hadn't given up. If only I could start again!' But I've lost confidence. I wish I was twenty years younger, and I wish my wife wouldn't tell me I need a new hobby all the time.